


You Could Be My Luck (Lucky13 #10)

by megyal



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adoption, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-27
Updated: 2014-07-27
Packaged: 2018-02-10 14:45:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2028987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megyal/pseuds/megyal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Malfoy, why do you have a baby?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Could Be My Luck (Lucky13 #10)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sisi_rambles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sisi_rambles/gifts).



> Trope: accidental-baby-acquisition for sisi_rambles@LJ. Title from 'Safe and Sound' by Capital Cities. This is the Harry I picture: [art by crowry (tumblr)](http://crowry.tumblr.com/tagged/harry%20potter). Also, Draco says something about returning an adopted baby, but he doesn't mean it. I promise.
> 
> Eh, got a bit cracky with this one?

Malfoy sauntered into the office the way he always did after lunch: long black scarf wrapped in an intricate set of knots around his neck ("It's called a 'four-in-hand', Potter, and it's not that intricate"), a pair of ridiculously large shades perched on his narrow nose, his Qarīn8 in his right hand (thumb moving endlessly over the screen of the flat, silvery device) and a large white cup of coffee in his left.

…except, today, Malfoy carried a baby instead of his coffee. Harry, who knew that Draco was an absolute fiend without his afternoon caffeine fix, was briefly more concerned at the absence of the beverage than the presence of a small human in the crook of Malfoy's arm.

"Malfoy," he finally managed, staring as Malfoy's thumb tapped rapidly over his Qarīn8 ( _THE most advanced in Wizarding organization and communication! Download the new app for Swishmaster, and never have to haul your wand around again!_ ). Malfoy twitched his eyebrows in Harry's direction, but didn't look up. The baby stared at the side of Malfoy's face and then turned to regard Harry in a very expectant manner.

"Malfoy," Harry tried again, and this time, Malfoy managed to lift his head and turn it towards Harry; however, he was sure that behind those shades, Malfoy was still staring at the screen of the Qarīn.

" _Malfoy_."

"Hmm?" 

"Malfoy, why do you have a baby?"

Malfoy's roving thumb paused. Slowly, he turned his head and looked at the baby sitting comfortably in the crook of his arm. "Oh," he said, as if he was just noticing that he had been accompanied by a quiet, dark-haired child. "Oh, someone gave her to me." He returned his attention to the Qarīn and scowled at it before swiping rather haughtily at the screen.

"Gund," the child said, as if agreeing with this telling of events. Harry, who sat at his own workstation with a quill in hand, waited for more explanation. None was forthcoming, not even from the baby.

He cleared his throat. " _Who_ would give you a baby?" And then, trying not to sound overly-panicked: "Hang on, did you _steal a baby_?" Any moment now, he thought, teams of Aurors would burst into their little office, shouting commands for them to get on the ground. Harry had the very brief but clear mental picture of Malfoy screeching: "But I need to fave that last post Pansy made!"

Malfoy dipped his chin and glared at Harry over the tops of his shades. The baby glared as well, but couldn't keep it up for long, so she pursed her little lips, stuck out her tongue and blew a half-hearted raspberry. Harry could see that she had brown eyes, and her skin looked very warm against Malfoy's cool arm. She was almost as dark as Harry, and her hair stuck up in thick tufts around her head.

"Malfoys don't steal babies, Potter." Malfoy was in full sneer mode, but Harry was quite used to it.

"Fine." Harry set down his quill and crossed his arms. "Then explain to me how it is you've gotten yourself one."

Malfoy sighed. It was a very long, heavy sigh, the kind reserved right before one pushed a very large boulder up a very steep hill. The baby stared up at him and sighed as well. 

Malfoy said, "Remember that time we did the warding for the orphanarium? And they said that we should sign up and take in a child, give them a nice home?"

"I remember that." Harry spoke very slowly. "I told them that I wasn't able to. I didn't sign up. _You_ didn't sign up."

"I signed up," Malfoy said and had the utter gall to look completely unrepentant.

"Of course." Harry massaged his left eyebrow with the fingers of one hand. "Right. I hope you realize that a baby is not a fashionable accessory, like that bloody device of yours."

"How dare you." Malfoy clutched his Qarīn close to his chest. "This is not a fashion accessory, I _need this_."

"How did you even manage to get past their psychological checks?" Harry wondered. "You're mad, how could they just give a baby to you?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes extravagantly. "I passed every single one of their tests _and_ I went to the training sessions! It's just that… I didn't expect them to _actually give_ me one of these, did I?" Malfoy inclined his head at the baby. "And I don't think you can just return her. Can you, though?" He seemed suddenly quite hopeful. "I still have the receipt."

"You're horrid," Harry told him, even though he knew that Malfoy was only joking; well, he _hoped_ , anyway. "Well. I suppose we'll have to go get diapers or nappies or whatever."

"Oh, absolutely." Malfoy nodded and then pursed his lips. "Wait. What in the world are those?"

Harry buried his face in his hands.

+

Harry gave his pillow a vicious punch and then flounced out of bed when he realised that the Floo wasn't going to stop flaring up in the corner unless he answered it.

"What?" he snapped as soon as he accepted the call, kneeling down in front of the flames. Malfoy's expression, when his face appeared, seemed taken aback for a few beats. Harry frowned at him. "Malfoy, it's one-fifteen in the morning. I've been buying stuff for your nursery all day, give me a break."

"Well, it's not _my_ fault that you haven't gotten yourself a Qarīn, is it?" Malfoy said, archly. "Then you could have been in the groupchat when I shared those photos of Gianna, earlier."

"This is _precisely_ why I don't have one," Harry told him and then couldn't help a small smile. "Gianna? That's…kind of nice."

Malfoy smiled a little. It wasn't one of his cold smiles, the ones he used when people tried to turn his background against him. This one was soft and a bit tired. "I wanted to show you something. Hang on, I'm going to use the Floo app."

Harry rolled his eyes. He shifted so he sat cross-legged and waited as Malfoy switched over to his little device. The flames dimmed a few degrees, and the view on Malfoy's end shifted. Harry saw the ornately decorated crib he'd had sent over to Malfoy's place, a waterfall of lace descending from the ceiling and settling behind the tall, carved headboard. Malfoy apparently held his device over the crib, and Harry found himself smiling at the image of Baby Gianna, fast asleep. She was dressed in footie-pyjamas, head turned to one side. She clutched a small plush tiger in one chubby fist.

"Is this all right?" Malfoy's voice was a bare whisper. "Came in here to check on her and she was sleeping on her stomach. She'll be fine, right?"

"Oh." Harry felt something weirdly comforting and warm settle in his chest. "Err…she's two, yeah? She'll be fine."

"All right." Malfoy fiddled with the Qarīn and the view shimmered a bit. "There, got the monitor set up and everything."

"Another app?" Harry asked, and yawned a little. He slumped sideways and then lay on the carpet-covered floor, curling on his side. He clasped his hands together under his cheek. "You know what? I think you might be a good parent, after all."

"Nonsense," Malfoy said. "I'll just let the house-elves take care of her. That's the Malfoy way."

Half-asleep, Harry chuckled. 

fin

**Author's Note:**

> Just to reiterate, Draco doesn't mean anything when he mentioned returning the baby. I promise. Also, he does know what diapers and nappies are. He's just being a dick.


End file.
